Whistling Away The Dark
by INeverExplainAnything
Summary: Maria is nervous as her and the Captain head out to a party that will be their first public appearance since their engagement. OneShot. [This started out as my story for the August Prompt on the SOM ProBoard but it failed completely so I just went with it anyway!]


A/N So I completely and utterly failed at this month's prompt, but I am posting it anyway because why hell not. I hope you enjoy it anyway =)

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

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A girl sat in front of a large ornate mirror as she finished getting dressed. This girl was a _lady_ and she was wearing a deep blue evening dress with a cinched waist and flutter sleeves. Elbow length gloves encased her slim arms and she fidgeted with them slightly as she averted her eyes away from her reflection. Sighing, she stood up and walked away from the mirror; still fiddling with the gloves she wore.

" _Oh help."_

Maria turned and looked at herself in the mirror again, trying not to shy away from what she saw. It was like looking at another person because the girl in the mirror couldn't be her. While Maria was normally a brave sort of person, right now she was absolutely terrified. After the wonderful night two weeks ago, when the Capt- no, _Georg,_ had come to her in the gazebo and they had professed their love for one another, she hadn't expected things to move so quickly. That night felt like a lifetime ago, the next day she had been told she must go back to the abbey until a chaperone could be arranged to reside at the house. Maria had questioned Georg on this, asking why they couldn't they just use Max but all he had said was some muttered comment about him being unsuitable and needing two in the house.

It was a few days later that Maria had headed back to the villa with a very disgruntled Sister Berthe in tow. Both the old nun and her fiancé had gotten on well enough, but this hadn't surprised Maria in the slightest; she knew Sister Berthe would approve of the Captain. Maria had been moved into the guest wing, alongside Sister Berthe, which was a lot more decadent than the governess room. Tonight they were going to a party being thrown by Baron and Baroness Elberfeld, it would be their first public appearance together as an engaged couple. While the old couple were quite pleasant and had been kind to her the past few days, Maria had a feeling the people attending weren't going to be as welcoming. Nor would they be won over by songs about her favourite things and clothes made of drapes.

She had become used to having Max around as well, he was such a fun and uncomplicated man. The fact that he wasn't attending, instead looking after the children, was also a little nerve wracking. _One less friend for me,_ she thought.

"Are you ready, Fraulein Maria?"

Her thoughts interrupted, Maria turned and saw Liesl standing at the door to her boudoir. Giving the young girl a smile that was a lot braver than she felt, Maria followed her out and down to the foyer. As she walked down the stairs, she saw Georg standing at the bottom of the staircase and couldn't help the breath that caught in her throat. He just looked so handsome in his full suit with the Maria Theresien cross around his neck, just like at the party not too long ago. Their eyes met as she reached the last step and she felt his eyes burning into her, it made her skin tingle and her hands clench.

"You look lovely, Maria."

Maria couldn't help the blush that started somewhere about her chest and rushed up to colour her face. She had a feeling that this was something that she would never be able to control.

"Thank you... Captain," she said, completely failing in being able to say his name out loud. This made her blush deepen and she turned her face away, trying to collect herself. What on earth was wrong with her?

"Goodnight Liesl," she heard him say, "We will be home later tonight, you are to go to bed by nine and the younger ones by seven. I do not care if Max says, writes, suggests or uses some elaborate form of charades to indicate anything else – that is your curfew. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Father," Liesl said and Maria saw her roll her eyes before she flounced back upstairs.

Maria felt a tap on her arm and saw Georg standing there with his arm proffered and a slight smirk on his face.

"Shall we?"

She took his arm and they walked out into the night air, their feet crunching on the gravel as they headed for Georg's car that was ready and waiting. He opened the passenger side for her and she got in. The roar of the engine burning to life as he slipped in and started the car gave Maria a shock. She had barely been paying any attention at all, so caught up in her thoughts. Maria tried focusing on the gentle lull of the engine as Georg drove swiftly and silently down the dark roads.

"It's not going to be as bad as you think, darling," Georg said softly. "There is no need to be so nervous."

"I'm not nervous," she replied, watching the street lamps flick by.

"O-ho, not nervous?"

"Not at all, Captain."

"Maria," he said, his message clear.

"Sorry, Georg," she whispered.

There was a moment of silence before she felt him turn the car down a side lane and stop. She turned to face him, the only light source coming from a street lamp, which gave his face a heavenly glow. The light reflected off his eyes and she felt for sure she would drown in them, and that she wouldn't mind it either. Not with the way he looked at her.

"Maria, you shouldn't feel uneasy using my given name," he said, his voice firm but soft.

"I know, I guess I am – well was, so used to calling you by your title and I-oh I just suppose I feel like I am going to get into _Trouble_ for saying it." This all came out in a stumbled rushed as she twisted her hands in her lap.

" _Trouble_ , eh?"

"Yes, and then you will get all mad and-and-and…" she trailed off.

"It's never stopped you before," he chuckled.

She turned to face him at that, her nerves forgotten for the moment as she decided to let irritation enter her life.

"Oh, you!" was all she could think to say.

"Well it's true, you've never let the thought of me getting mad stop you from doing anything before," he said, clearly enjoying himself. "In fact, you seemed to revel in doing anything just for the sake of annoying me."

She tried to hide the smile that threatened to cross her face but she failed.

"O-ho yes, I knew it!"

There was no point trying to be mad with him, he wasn't lying. She just wished she could control her facial expressions, especially if she was to be attending parties and so on with all his friends and old colleagues.

"You just got so flustered, Georg, that I couldn't resist it sometimes!" Maria giggled. It was then that she realised she had said his name and it had come so naturally to her too. "It was nice to know you were human like the rest of us."

Maria was expecting him to give a witty retort but he said nothing and just twisted more of his body in his seat to face her. His eyes never left hers as he grasped both of her hands, his thumb tracing lazy patterns over her hands. A small gasp escaped her as she felt the skin under her gloves burn wherever he touched. A few moments passed in silence as she watched his gloved hands on hers, his white against her blue.

"Your face is like an open book," he said softly, "I could read you forever."

This was why they had Max or Sister Berthe with them every minute or every day, she understood it right in this moment. Her heart was beating in her chest and she could hear the blood rushing through her head as she tried to think. They hadn't been alone since the night in the gazebo, but that had been different. Both had been unsure of what was to happen and everything had been so uncertain. Now, in this car, Captain von Trapp was going to be her husband and she his wife. And here they sat, without a chaperone for the first time in fourteen whole days. It made her head spin in a highly delicious way. She sighed and her eyes fell closed, wanting to be lost in the feeling. Maria felt his hands move up her arms, skimming briefly under the sleeves of her dress before one rested on the nape of her neck and the other cupped her face gently.

"Open your eyes, Maria," his voice warm and inviting.

Her eyes flicked open, his face was inches from hers. His blue eyes were intense in their gaze and she realised how much self-control he must employ as she watched it all slowly crumble away.

The kiss was electric; she felt it all the way to her toes that promptly curled in their elegant shoes. It was unlike their first kiss, which had been soft and full of promises of love. This kiss burned her, and it was full of promises of an entirely different kind. She couldn't get enough of him, the feel of his lips against hers and the smell of him; a woody scent that she couldn't stop inhaling. She felt drunk; well, she imagined this was what being drunk was like.

He deepened the kiss, each one exploring the other with fervour. She had moved her hands to his chest and was gripping the fabric of his jacket tightly. Feeling empowered, she moved one hand underneath his jacket to press her hand flat against his heart. The beat was fast and strong, it seemed to match the thrumming in her head.

The next minute a car drove past, the bright headlights illuminating the inside of the car briefly. Maria felt him pull away reluctantly and the only sound was their panted breathing.

"I apologise, darling," he breathed, "I was only trying to make you feel less nervous."

Maria had never seen him look so out of control before, his normally perfectly combed hair was a mess, his jacket was half off his shoulders and his eyes, oh his eyes. They would kill her surely.

"Well, it worked," she said, her voice thick.

"Nevertheless, we shouldn't let this get out of hand," his voice more serious. "You deserve more than a sneaky rendezvous in my car while on route to a party."

"I understand, I do," she replied, "I just miss you, we haven't been alone in so long. Having chaperones with us all the time and then still looking after the children, I feel like we're just mere strangers."

He responded by raising his eyebrows and saying nothing.

"Ohhh, that came out wrong!" Maria begun to twist her hands again, struggling to word her thoughts. "Before, I could just see you whenever I wanted to and we could be alone and everything was okay-"

"Except that I was to marry someone else and you were my children's governess."

"- well yes, but I-I mean, these rules are so-so-so… silly!"

"I understand, Maria," he said, stilling her twisting hands with his own. "But, this is what we have to do. I know you are nervous about this party and what people will say. And I am afraid they may talk but the point of the chaperones is so those cretins will have little ammunition to use. When we are married we can be alone all we want, but until then we must just cherish these small moments. Can you do that?"

Maria didn't hesitate, "Yes, Georg."

"Now we best be going or Baron and Baroness Elberfeld will wonder where we are, and we can't be late."

He gave her a brief kiss on the cheek before sliding back into his own seat and fixing his jacket and hair. Maria checked her appearance in the rear-view mirror and saw her flushed face and mussed hair. She neatened it quickly, thankful for it being so short and easy to manage. Smoothing out her dress, she leant back in her seat as Georg turned the engine on and zoomed back onto the main road. A moment later, she felt him clasp her left hand with his right and squeeze it reassuringly. Turning to look at him, his eyes still looking straight ahead, she squeezed it back.

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A/N Title is from Darling Lili, I absolutely love that song. Thanks to lemacd for the prompt, even though I failed =P The prompt was _non-sexual forms of intimacy_ \- I did start out with good intentions. But you know what they say about good intentions ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


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